Mobile communications devices such as cell phones are gaining wider acceptance due to the capabilities being added to such devices. Some mobile communications devices provide access to all manner of digital communications over wireless data links. These devices may include data processing capabilities for creating, modifying, processing, and viewing various types of data.
One type of data processing that has become increasingly popular is information feeds. Information feeds can be generally described as technologies for providing regularly updated data items of interest (e.g., news) to an electronic device. Technologies such as Resource Description File Site Summary (RSS) (also referred to as Really Simple Syndication) and Atom allow users to subscribe to information feeds available over the Internet. Once subscribed, the user can see a collection of data items available on the particular feed. The data items typically include a title and a short description. The data items may also provide links to a World Wide Web page or other resource that the user may access for more detailed information about the subject of the data item.
In one example of an information feed, a Web browser can incorporate a plug-in component to discover and process RSS feeds. The user may choose RSS feeds by typing in a URL, selecting a hyperlink in a Web page, or by using a search mechanism. After a feed is selected, the user will be presented with a collection (e.g., a list) of items currently contained in the feed. The data items contain a title and a (typically) short description, such as a headline and summary paragraph of a news article. The user may select one of the data items to have the browser directed to a Web page that provides the full story described by the RSS feed item. As time goes on, the list of RSS data items will be automatically updated.
Technologies such as RSS information feeds are ideal for portable communications device. Portable devices can be carried with the user at all time, therefore the continuously updated information feeds can be the fastest way to disseminate news and other time critical data to users of such devices. Also, the fact that the feeds contain condensed data allows users to perceive and filter information without consuming a great deal of bandwidth or user interface real estate, both of which are at a premium in mobile devices.
Current implementations of information feeds were not specifically designed for mobile devices. The majority of devices that access information feed access are the same general-purpose computers used to access the Web and other Internet services. Therefore, improvements in the managing information feeds may be desirable in order to increase the utility of information feeds on mobile electronic devices.